Heading in Week 10, the Bengals, Ravens, Patriots and Jets are on bye. Throw in the uncertainty of Josh Allen’s elbow (UCL issue) and new injuries to players like Romeo Doubs (high ankle – OUT 4-6 weeks) and Aaron Jones (trending toward playing) or even lingering issues to Keenan Allen/Mike Williams, and you have the makings of another week where you probably need to lean on the wire to fix your MASH unit lineup.
Below you will find some names that were probably not drafted 11+ weeks ago and some that may have not landed on a roster between then and now. Just suck it up and know you need living, breathing, NFL talent and you need it for one week just to get bye. You need and want volume if you can find it. Example is Kenyan Drake who has run hot and cold. He probably won a lot of matchups last night for those owners that stuck with him solely based on the need for a RB on a six-team bye week.
NOTE: Rostered percentages and scoring system is based on Yahoo! PPR league scoring.
Week 10 Waiver Wire Add of the Week: WR: Mecole Hardman (KC; 48% rostered) – I told you to grab Hardman during the Chiefs bye week. Did you listen? Based on his roster percentage I’d say most of you did not listen. If you have a shot at Hardman, this is the time to grab him. I promise he will be around 65-75% owned come this week’s waivers. He added more touches and another TD in Week 9 in a game where most Chiefs not named Travis Kelce or JuJu Smith-Schuster were bottled up. Jacksonville is the opponent in Week 10, and they have been up and down on defense, so if you are down a WR this week, Hardman is my go-to name to help you out. The two guys scripting and calling plays for the Chiefs love to get this guy involved so ride that wave and sneak some points into your lineup.
QB: Andy Dalton (NO, 15% rostered) – Dalton did not look great on MNF, but these are the bye weeks, so if you are losing Joe Burrow or Lamar Jackson (or even Mac or Zach), then you may be headed to the wire looking for the one game stopgap at QB. Dalton is traveling to Pittsburgh to visit a pass defense in the bottom five of the league, so you should at least consider him as an option. I like him a little more if Jarvis Landry is back for Week 10.
QB: Daniel Jones (NYG, 40% rostered) – Well the guy just keeps showing up in this column and his percent rostered does not change. After watching Justin Fields on Sunday against Miami, I think Jones wants to be Fields, but sometimes even Fields is not Fields and the stats are middling at best. If you need a bye week filler at QB, you can do worse than Jones home against the Texans. I think this game will be tight and that will ensure Jones is both running and throwing on Sunday. Who he will be throwing to is anyone’s guess at this point.
Honorable Mention: Jimmy Garoppolo (SF, 39% rostered), Matthew Stafford (LAR, 68% rostered), PJ Walker (CAR, 6% rostered)
RB: Isiah Pacheco (KC; 30% rostered) – I much prefer to recommend RBs guaranteed volume, but Pacheco being named the ‘starter’ in KC helps moves him up my list a little bit for Week 10. He was bottled up by a stout TEN defense in Week 9, but he was the starter and had some chances to run. His Week 9 stats are nothing to write home about, but I see his role expanding as the team recognizes that CEH is not the guy. Pacheco’s 4.39 speed is something to take note of as neither CEH nor McKinnon has this kind of speed and we know Andy Reid loves his speed players. Pacheco is not a must-start and you know this. He is a bye week insurance policy and possibly a player that can hit for you down the stretch.
RB: Alexander Mattison (MIN, 45% rostered) – Another guy that is much more insurance than he is a weekly starter. We know Dalvin Cook is injury prone and it is just a matter of time before he is dinged again. Mattison is past his bye week and the Vikings are headed into a tough four game portion of their campaign. I think he will get a little more action in these matchups and now is the time to stash and/or handcuff with Mattison who could be a league winner if Cook is lost to injury.
Honorable Mention: Tyler Allgeier (ATL, 61% rostered), Kenneth Gainwell (PHI, 14% rostered), Justice Hill (BAL, 5% rostered)
WR: Jarvis Landry (NO; 17% rostered) – Did we forget about Juice? I think we did during his injury run. With Michael Thomas officially on IR (what’s new) and Olave emerging as the WR1 for our guy Andy Dalton, we need to roster Landry as a target hound. He runs great routes and has excellent hands for a Saints team that likes to toss the ball around a little. Landry is just the kind of name you use as a bye week replacement value player. He may not light the world on fire, but he has a solid floor you can count on. Do we even need to mention the Saints are going up against the lowly Steelers to help convince you? Keep an eye on his status this week to ensure he is back practicing and headed toward playing. The good news, based on him not playing on MNF in Week 9, is you can probably pick him up for free.
WR: Wan’Dale Robinson (NYG; 25% rostered) – The Giants have seen the bye come and go and the same can be said for Kadarius Toney. The news of Toney being traded to the Chiefs was not only interesting for him, but maybe more so for Robinson who now (in theory) slots in as the WR1 in NY. What does that WR1 status bring? Who the hell knows with this offense? The one thing I am confident of is Robinson’s ability to catch passes as is evident by his time at Kentucky. As mentioned above, Daniel Jones needs to throw to someone and you need bye week assistance, so take a flier on Robinson.
Honorable Mentions: Allen Robinson II (LAR, 67% rostered), Michael Gallup (DAL, 39% rostered), Terrace Marshall Jr. (CAR, 6% rostered) and STASH Jameson Williams (22% rostered)
TE: Greg Dulcich (DEN; 35% rostered) – Let me get this off my chest…I am not a Russell Wilson fan. Never have been and never will be. I truly think he has been overrated for his entire career. Phew, that was cathartic. Now, that I have finished that mini rant, let me sing his praises as they relate to Greg Dulcich. There seems to be ‘something’ there between the QB and TE and that is something we need to consider while streaming the thinnest position in fantasy football. Dulcich is not going to be called on to block…NOT at all! This is a pure pass catching TE and that is what we want on our team. Remember
Honorable Mention: Cole Kmet (CHI, 23% rostered), Noah Fant (SEA, 10% rostered) Logan Thomas (WAS, 9% rostered); STASH Isaiah Likely (BAL, 57% rostered)
Now is the time to tighten up your roster. You should not be married to any middle of the pack players at this point. Now is the time to grab guys to get you by for the one-week bye and/or stash players that can truly make a difference heading into the playoffs. I implore you…Pay attention to your kicker and defense during the bye weeks. You certainly do not want to lose because you failed to address a bye at one of those positions.
Best of luck heading into Week 10 and may the wire be with you!
